For this week's NORTHMIX special we sat down with Toronto trance producer and DJ, Saad Ayub. Known for his psy-trance after hour vibes to uplifting vocal mash-ups, Saad has a history and influence with the dance music scene in Bangladesh. Now infiltrating the Toronto trance crowd, we talk about the differences between the two countries and what we can expect from the future of trance.THUMP: Digital Dreams is coming in three weeks, are you excited?
Saad: Really excited. I can't believe last year I was just a raver, a clubber. Now I'm playing one of the biggest electronic music festivals in Canada.Are you prepping your set right now?
It's already done, ready to go. The Fantasyland stage will have psy-trance and progressive trance. Uplifting and vocal trance might be lacking a bit, so that's where I come in.So your hometown is Bangladesh, when was the first time you heard electronic music?
I think, 1995, I was 10 years old. Enigma. My brother listened to a lot of Enigma cassette tapes; it was always pounding really early in the morning and waking up the neighbours. [Laughs] that music was very melodic and euphoric at the same time. It would give me chills sometimes; it just puts you in a different mood. That's when I knew this kind of music is with me, but in between, when I started becoming a teenager I was more into rock. Then it all came back when I was listening to Infected Mushroom, I was like, "this is the music I want to play and this is something I want to listen to."From there, what made you get into producing?
I actually started producing when I moved to Toronto because I started to listen to psy-trance again. It's not really something you can listen to in a club. By the way, there are no clubs in Bangladesh. We would throw parties in five star hotels because of their alcohol license, since you can't drink outside.I was 17 when I started promoting events, we brought Ministry of Sound's Hed Kandi and that's how I got into DJing, by opening for headliners. They were really happy with the progression and saw how interested I was in music. They helped me a lot by learning how to be a DJ.What was the choice of music for people in Bangladesh?
Back home, house music was a niche thing. It used to be a selective group of people who were rich and from families who were well off. Other than that, there was Bollywood, hip-hop and R&B. But when we would throw these events we would actually have to refine and filter people and invite them. It wasn't something that would be open for everyone, where you could just buy tickets and come. It was a pretty complex process. But at the end of the day, it was all about getting that good vibe and crowd. That's how it went back in the day; the DJ wasn't the main focus. It was the brand, the music and the people.When it comes to electronic music, how were the people in Bangladesh?
I was actually talking to my friend last night, if people want to go to a good event, they would still filter people out. They want it to be very exclusive.So it's only a select group of people.
That was actually one of the reasons why I left house music and switched for trance, because I got fed up with how people would judge you just by how you dress or how much money you have.How's the trance scene in Bangladesh?
There is nothing to be honest. I used to follow trance like ASOT450 and all those. I played a trance track one night for this event, the whole dance floor emptied to the corner. So I was like "okay, not playing trance." [Laughs]. Anything over 130 BPM and it will be very tough for people. People will be like "What is this? It's too fast."Why the move to Toronto?
It's funny to answer this, but I never planned to come to Toronto. I was actually supposed to be in Germany for my ex-girlfriend. That never worked out. I was kind of devastated and was trying to figure out what I should do with my life. I wanted to be somewhere where I could move and finish something I wanted to start. A place to go for that was Canada, or North America in general. Canada is a very diverse country and I think that Toronto is very welcoming. Before coming to Toronto I was following The Guvernment scene, by the time I moved here, the first thing I did was look for places where I could play my music. I was asked to play a set at Lilly Lounge for about 20 people and the music I was playing was progressive house. People were like "what is this guy playing? This is Guv music, not Lilly Lounge." [Laughs] it didn't really go well.Your first month was a transition because in Bangladesh you knew what the crowd wanted since it was one event, one crowd. Here in Toronto, it is different venues with different crowds.
Exactly. When I first got here I went to This is London in the club district. I gave away my mix CDs and I ended up giving one to Joee Cons, he told me, "I like this music, you should play this at lounges." And I'm there thinking, "this isn't lounge music, this is big room music! Why is he calling it lounge music?" But then I started to find other places. I went to the Guvernment for Dash Berlin and it was there when I was blown away by trance music and how the crowd was so different from other venues. I was like, "you know what, this is for me, this is the music I always listened to. It's time to change, transition."How do you see trance in Toronto now and in the future?
Trance in general, in the world, will be a stable genre and even in Toronto because it was mainstream when it was the '90s but now it's basically a selective and niche crowd. Not a lot of people listen to it, but the people who do listen to it will listen to it forever. Even if they like techno, they will still listen to trance when they get time. Trance in Toronto will get bigger. It's just a cycle at the end of the day. Music is a cycle.How do you feel about becoming an influencer in the Toronto trance scene?
It's crazy. From a raver, to a clubber to a curator, it's crazy. Now I feel like a lot of old people are departing from trance. We want longevity for trance in Toronto. I think Toronto is going to be a music city in the next four to five years. We are actually planning for a documentary this summer about trance. So keep an eye out for that. It's going to be really good.You can follow Connie on Twitter: @ConstanceChan
Saad: Really excited. I can't believe last year I was just a raver, a clubber. Now I'm playing one of the biggest electronic music festivals in Canada.
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It's already done, ready to go. The Fantasyland stage will have psy-trance and progressive trance. Uplifting and vocal trance might be lacking a bit, so that's where I come in.So your hometown is Bangladesh, when was the first time you heard electronic music?
I think, 1995, I was 10 years old. Enigma. My brother listened to a lot of Enigma cassette tapes; it was always pounding really early in the morning and waking up the neighbours. [Laughs] that music was very melodic and euphoric at the same time. It would give me chills sometimes; it just puts you in a different mood. That's when I knew this kind of music is with me, but in between, when I started becoming a teenager I was more into rock. Then it all came back when I was listening to Infected Mushroom, I was like, "this is the music I want to play and this is something I want to listen to."From there, what made you get into producing?
I actually started producing when I moved to Toronto because I started to listen to psy-trance again. It's not really something you can listen to in a club. By the way, there are no clubs in Bangladesh. We would throw parties in five star hotels because of their alcohol license, since you can't drink outside.I was 17 when I started promoting events, we brought Ministry of Sound's Hed Kandi and that's how I got into DJing, by opening for headliners. They were really happy with the progression and saw how interested I was in music. They helped me a lot by learning how to be a DJ.
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Back home, house music was a niche thing. It used to be a selective group of people who were rich and from families who were well off. Other than that, there was Bollywood, hip-hop and R&B. But when we would throw these events we would actually have to refine and filter people and invite them. It wasn't something that would be open for everyone, where you could just buy tickets and come. It was a pretty complex process. But at the end of the day, it was all about getting that good vibe and crowd. That's how it went back in the day; the DJ wasn't the main focus. It was the brand, the music and the people.When it comes to electronic music, how were the people in Bangladesh?
I was actually talking to my friend last night, if people want to go to a good event, they would still filter people out. They want it to be very exclusive.So it's only a select group of people.
That was actually one of the reasons why I left house music and switched for trance, because I got fed up with how people would judge you just by how you dress or how much money you have.How's the trance scene in Bangladesh?
There is nothing to be honest. I used to follow trance like ASOT450 and all those. I played a trance track one night for this event, the whole dance floor emptied to the corner. So I was like "okay, not playing trance." [Laughs]. Anything over 130 BPM and it will be very tough for people. People will be like "What is this? It's too fast."
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It's funny to answer this, but I never planned to come to Toronto. I was actually supposed to be in Germany for my ex-girlfriend. That never worked out. I was kind of devastated and was trying to figure out what I should do with my life. I wanted to be somewhere where I could move and finish something I wanted to start. A place to go for that was Canada, or North America in general. Canada is a very diverse country and I think that Toronto is very welcoming. Before coming to Toronto I was following The Guvernment scene, by the time I moved here, the first thing I did was look for places where I could play my music. I was asked to play a set at Lilly Lounge for about 20 people and the music I was playing was progressive house. People were like "what is this guy playing? This is Guv music, not Lilly Lounge." [Laughs] it didn't really go well.Your first month was a transition because in Bangladesh you knew what the crowd wanted since it was one event, one crowd. Here in Toronto, it is different venues with different crowds.
Exactly. When I first got here I went to This is London in the club district. I gave away my mix CDs and I ended up giving one to Joee Cons, he told me, "I like this music, you should play this at lounges." And I'm there thinking, "this isn't lounge music, this is big room music! Why is he calling it lounge music?" But then I started to find other places. I went to the Guvernment for Dash Berlin and it was there when I was blown away by trance music and how the crowd was so different from other venues. I was like, "you know what, this is for me, this is the music I always listened to. It's time to change, transition."How do you see trance in Toronto now and in the future?
Trance in general, in the world, will be a stable genre and even in Toronto because it was mainstream when it was the '90s but now it's basically a selective and niche crowd. Not a lot of people listen to it, but the people who do listen to it will listen to it forever. Even if they like techno, they will still listen to trance when they get time. Trance in Toronto will get bigger. It's just a cycle at the end of the day. Music is a cycle.How do you feel about becoming an influencer in the Toronto trance scene?
It's crazy. From a raver, to a clubber to a curator, it's crazy. Now I feel like a lot of old people are departing from trance. We want longevity for trance in Toronto. I think Toronto is going to be a music city in the next four to five years. We are actually planning for a documentary this summer about trance. So keep an eye out for that. It's going to be really good.You can follow Connie on Twitter: @ConstanceChan